Salesforce Platform Admin Certification: Navigating the 2025 Changes
If you’ve been around Salesforce certifications for a while, the Platform Administrator exam has been fairly predictable.
Users. Security. Objects. Reports. Automation.
Those pillars are still very much there, and are definitely still an expected part of the real-world admin jobs, but the newest version of the exam signals that Salesforce no longer sees admins as just system maintainers. The current version prioritizes your ability to decide why a solution should be built, in addition to how to navigate the setup menu.
The following breakdown details the core shifts in the exam and the specific value-driven skills you now need to master.
AI & Agentforce: The New Domain
Salesforce has moved AI from a “nice-to-know” buzzword to a formal, weighted testing area. The exam now treats Agentforce as a core administrative pillar.
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Strategic Reasoning: You must identify when a business problem requires a deterministic solution (Flow) versus a generative solution (AI agents).
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Agent Management: Expect questions on using Agent Builder to maintain and test instructions, as well as troubleshooting agent behavior.
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AI Governance: The exam tests your ability to manage the Einstein Trust Layer, ensuring that AI-driven experiences remain secure and data remains private.
What Changed, and How To Prepare
The Relationship Between Data & AI
Your AI is only as good as the data you give it. The exam weighting reinforces that an admin’s primary job is protecting the “source of truth.”
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Data Integrity: Increased focus on validation rules, duplicate management, and high-quality imports as the foundation for successful AI.
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Security Architecture: You must understand how the Salesforce Sharing Model (OWDs, Roles, and Permission Sets) directly impacts what an AI agent can see or do in addition to users.
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Governance & Auditing: Modern admins are expected to know who should control AI behaviors and how to audit the actions taken by autonomous agents.
Advanced Automation & Logic
While Flow remains the “engine” of Salesforce, the exam now frames automation within a broader context of efficiency and risk management.
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Deterministic vs. Generative: You will be tested on your ability to choose between a rule-based Flow (if/then logic) and a generative agent (natural language processing).
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Scalability: Scenarios now push you to think about how automation impacts system limits and long-term org health.
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Layered Troubleshooting: You are expected to debug complex interactions where a single record might be touched by a Flow, an Apex trigger, and an AI prompt simultaneously.
How to Adjust Your Study Strategy
To pass the current exam, your preparation must move beyond the “Security and Objects” silos.
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Master Agentforce Fundamentals: Spend significant time in Trailhead Playgrounds using Agent Builder. Understand how to write effective instructions for agents. Click HERE for more information on this.
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Connect the Dots: When studying Security, ask yourself: “How would this sharing setting affect a generative AI prompt?”
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Prioritize Flow: Flow is the backbone of the platform. You must be comfortable reading a Flow design and identifying where it might fail or where an AI agent could take over. Ready to improve your Flow skills? Click HERE to join the Complete Live Flow Course and finally master the skills you need.
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Analyze the “Why”: For every practice question, identify the business problem first. If the solution involves AI, ensure you can justify why a standard Flow wouldn’t suffice.
Below, you will find a chart of the weight distribution changes for the new exam.
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Exam Section
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Old Weighting
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New Weighting (Effective Dec 15, 2025)
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Change
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Data & Analytics Management
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14%
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17%
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+3%
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Productivity & Collaboration
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7%
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10%
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+3%
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Agentforce AI
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0%
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8%
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+8% (New)
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Configuration & Setup
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20%
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15%
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-5%
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Object Manager & Lightning App Builder
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20%
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15%
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-5%
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Automation
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16%
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15%
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-1%
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Sales & Marketing Applications
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12%
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10%
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-2%
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Service & Support Applications
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11%
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10%
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-1%
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Ready to prepare for the exam?
Salesforce has officially moved certification exam management from Webassessor to Trailhead, with Pearson VUE now handling both online and in-person testing. Exam scheduling, rescheduling, launching your exam, and tracking your certifications all now happen inside Trailhead Academy, using your Trailhead login. For more information, click HERE.
From the Trailhead Academy dashboard, you can view available certifications, register for an exam, choose between online proctoring or a test center, reschedule if needed, and access your exam history, all in one place.
Quick Tips Before You Schedule
- Log in early: Show up 10-15 minutes before your exam time so you don’t feel rushed
- Run the system test: Pearson VUE offers a tool to check your camera, mic, and internet speed
- Have your ID ready: Your Trailhead name must match your government-issued ID
- Use Chrome: It’s the most stable browser for launching exams
- Clear your space: The proctor will require a full scan of your surroundings, so it’s best to start with a clean, uncluttered desk. Remove any unnecessary items, silence your phone, and place it out of reach; better yet, put it across the room to avoid any issues.
Final Thoughts
The Platform Administrator exam is a reflection of how the admin role itself is changing. Salesforce is clearly expecting admins to think more critically, design more intentionally, and understand the ripple effects of the tools they build, especially as AI becomes part of everyday workflows. If you’re studying now, don’t treat this exam like a memorization exercise. Use it as a chance to sharpen how you approach problems, evaluate solutions, and design systems that actually make sense for the business. That mindset will matter long after the exam is over.
Explore related content:
To review the official Salesforce Exam Guide, click HERE.
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